A 20-year-old ice addict who embarked on a “serious crime spree” across Ballarat, racking up 40 charges, has been sentenced to at least 20 months in jail.
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James Alan Nunn, of no fixed address, was sentenced at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to 30 charges stemming from incidents in September and October, 2017.
The staggering array of charges included dangerous driving, ramming a police car, resisting arrest, reckless conduct endangering life, theft and arson of a vehicle, and theft of a Hilux utility and Mercedes.
The estimated amount of property stolen was $97,000.
In one incident on October 8, 2017, police saw Nunn at a Redan house with a woman and a car, later found to have been stolen from Armadale three days earlier.
When police pulled into the driveway Nunn reversed the stolen vehicle into the front of the police car, which was carrying several officers, and then drove towards two other officers on foot, forcing them to take evasive action.
Nunn then deliberately drove through a side fence collapsing the fence and driving away at a speed of 160km/h.
In sentencing Nunn, magistrate Gregory Robinson described his drug-fueled offending as serious.
“The offending, which is mostly fueled by drugs, has reached that level I consider Mr Nunn a threat not only to himself but members of the community,” Mr Robinson said.
“Given the numerous opportunities he has been given to live lawfully in the community and opportunities to rehabilitate himself … I conclude that rehabilitation approaches are not sufficient to deter him.”
Mr Robinson mentioned some of Nunn’s prior criminal offending which included criminal damage by fire, car theft, attempted armed robbery, unlawful assault, reckless conduct endangering life and failing to stop driving on police request.
He said Nunn was charged over the Malmsbury youth detention centre riot in 2017.
Defence lawyer David Tamanika urged the court to release his client from custody, with time already served, and place him on a community corrections order.
He said Nunn was young and he would engage with corrections with a plan to obtain employment and move from Ballarat, which had “significant drawbacks”.
Mr Robinson sentenced Nunn to three years in jail with a non-parole period of 20 months. He has already served 400 days pre-sentenced detention.
“Mr Nunn will eventually be released into the community and when that happens there needs to be monitoring,” he said.
“The Adult Parole Board will determine when it is safe for Mr Nunn to be released.”
Nunn’s mother was in court supporting him on Wednesday.